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Topic: Rear brake issue on new Electra (Read 960 times)

Rain and gales lash the southwest UK and running in the new bike is on hold. Nevertheless I can't stay away from it and so have been tinkering about getting more familiar with what goes where and does what. I noticed while riding at the weekend that the rear brake was virtually useless, and assumed this was simply the nature of these old drum brakes. But hard pressure on the pedal while on the centre stand met with initial resistance, then it went way down low and stayed there. I then realized the adjuster at the end of the rod was wound way back near the end of the rod, so I adjusted it back until there was actual braking with light pressure - about an inch of pedal movement. But to achieve this, the adjuster is now wound pretty much all the way to the inner end of the threads on the rod. There may be room for a bit more ongoing adjustment, but not very much. Is this right on a new machine? I'd have expected it to be somewhere around the middle.

My brake adjuster nut is virtually at the free end of the brake rod. I stood the bike on the centre stand turned the nut until the brake bound on the drum, then slacked off until free, and checked the amount of pedal movement required to brake efficiently. There may be a touch of drum/shoe contact, not much at all to cause me concern.I don't think the brake pedal/operation is one of the G5s good points.It sounds as though there may have been an assembly fault, if your nut is at the other end of the rod!!

When I collected by new bike the dealer said the rear brake lever had rather more travel than he would have liked but see how I get on with it. I thought it was pretty OK. Then I adjusted the chain at 450 miles and when I retightened the adjuster nut to where it was before the back wheel wouldn't turn. In order to achieve a setting where the brake wasn't binding there was so much travel at the lever that it was fouling the exhaust. Obviously this was raised at the 500 mile service and they had the back wheel off and found the shoes weren't seating correctly. Actually, the dealer said "be careful of the back brake - it works now!" when I collected it and he was right. It's a decent brake when set up right. I would recommend you ask your dealer to have a look too. Remember it's under warranty!

Thanks for the replies guys. I also notice that when the brake is applied the lever is very nearly up against the wheel nut, so something's been set up wrong. I've informed the dealer and will get it seen to when the bike goes in for its first service in a couple of hundred miles, so not long, assuming the gales and rain let up soon....thanks again,Will

I changed the angle of the actuator lever on the splined shaft, which has cured the problem. Thanks Will Blackwolf, you were spot on.PhilJ - such concerns are what prompted me to look closer rather than wait. Thanks.

my 09 enfields rear brake is the same,lots of travel in the peddle.i need to put 30 more miles on the clock for first service 500 miles. i will let the dealer sort it,same as you waiting for bad weather to pass.